Barwon LAC - NSW Police Force

In the midst of an 'above normal' bush fire season Police remind motorists of the dangers involved in throwing a lit cigarette from a vehicle window.

Barwon Local Area Command’s Acting Superintendent Kylie Chinnery said “as well as the environmental cost associated with littering, there is also great potential for fires from discarded cigarette butts”.

“Now more than ever we expect residents andtravellers to be responsible citizens” she said.

“Since the start of the bushfire season there has been huge media attention regarding the devastating toll on communities affected by bushfires”.

“A careless act like this by one person travelling through the area could have fatal consequences for our communities”.

The offence of Deposit litter (lit cigarette) carries with it fines of $250 – in aggravated circumstances the fine could be as much as $900 or you could be charged and placed before the courts.

Residents are asked to continue to be vigilant this bushfire season and if you see an unattended fire call 000 - if you witness suspicious behaviour report it immediately.

The Guardian

Three women from the “Knitting Nannas” anti-coal seam gas group have been charged after chaining themselves by the neck to a wastewater plant gate in northern New South Wales.

The women locked themselves on to the gates of the Santos Leewood Water treatment plant south of Narrabri on Monday morning. The treatment plant will support 850 CSG wells above the Great Artesian Basin.

UPDATE: The Newell Highway has reopened today after two massive water bombing tankers were called to battle a bushfire burning out of control in the Pilliga Forest.

According to the Rural Fire Service on Friday morning, the bushfire, burning between Narrabri and Coonabarabran, had swelled to almost 8,000 hectares in size after southerly and hot temperatures on Thursday night.

Angela Macdonald-Smith Energy Reporter SMH

A mega-merger between Santos and Origin Energy could drive $3 billion of cost synergies and help both weather rock-bottom oil prices, according to Credit Suisse.

The deal as envisaged by the bank's energy equities team would involve spinning off Origin's utilities business, while the oil and gas operations would be combined to create "Soritos E&P".

"We are struck by the beauty of both the industrial and political logic to the deal at a time when the companies are on their knees and the east coast market is staring down the barrel of an uncomfortable date with destiny," the analysts said in a note to clients.

A zero-premium merger would be the most logical structure for combining the two companies, which are both suffering from the impact of funding large liquefied natural gas projects in Queensland just as cash flows are being hit by plunging crude oil prices, they said.

Cameron England The Advertiser Adelaide

Santos shares have hit levels not seen since 1995 as the oil price continues to slide

SANTOS shares have plunged to a two-decade low despite vague takeover rumours floating around the market.

Santos stock was hammered on Tuesday, closing 26c, or 8.1 per cent lower at $2.95 — levels it has not touched since late 1995.

The Adelaide company’s shares have basically halved in each of the past two years to January, trading at $12.51 in January 2014 and $6.35 in January last year.

At the current share price, the company is worth about $5.2 billion, well below the value of its investment in its $US18.5 billion Gladstone liquefied natural gas plant, let alone its other assets such as its Cooper Basin oil and gas fields and the Moomba gas plant in South Australia, and its overseas and offshore Australian assets.

There was a rumour that the company was being considered as a takeover target by French oil giant Total — also a partner in GLNG — but those rumours were played down by analysts.

at the Magic Millions

"I was struggling at the 50m mark and needed something. I'm not sure if it was Rex's training or help from Tim above but we got there" - Jockey Damian Browne pays tribute to Tim Bell after the emotional win of Tinto in the Magic Millions Trophy